We've had the discussion before: Many Disneyland guests today do not realize that one of the founding, governing tenets of Disneyland was that it was not only a place to entertain, it was a place to educate.
Many folks today simply refuse to accept this. Their desire to grab a churro and head over to Splash Mountain before camping out to wait for Fantasmic! has blinded them to one of Disneyland's founding principles--and, I believe--one of the elements that made the Park once-great.
"Disneyland is about the rides, man!" they say. "No one goes to the Park to be educated. That's what museums are for!"
I offer a few quotes in rebuttal:
Emphasis added.
This is from the six-page document used to sell Disneyland to the “New York Bankers." Part of the documentation responsible for the park’s very existence.
Now...how about this? This is from the introduction to the Stanford Research Institue Report. As many know, Stanford Research Institute was hired by Disney to determine the best location for the Park:
Again, there seems to have been a very strong educational component associated with the Park. In fact, in the quote above, it is presented equally with the word "recreational" to describe the "enterprise."
And Walt himself also spoke directly about the Park being educational--and how that's part of what it magical:
Sadly, much of the educational aspects of the Park have been stripped away (or, in some cases, distorted beyond recognition). But there is still much to learn at the Park.
So...what have you learned about the world you live in at the Park? What have you learned about history, or technology, or art or culture or nature or science while at Disneyland?
Many folks today simply refuse to accept this. Their desire to grab a churro and head over to Splash Mountain before camping out to wait for Fantasmic! has blinded them to one of Disneyland's founding principles--and, I believe--one of the elements that made the Park once-great.
"Disneyland is about the rides, man!" they say. "No one goes to the Park to be educated. That's what museums are for!"
I offer a few quotes in rebuttal:
The idea of Disneyland is a simple one. It will be a place for people to find happiness and knowledge.
It will be a place for parents and children to share pleasant times in each other’s company; a place for teachers and pupils to discover greater ways of understanding and education. Here the older generation can recapture the nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savor the challenge of the future. Here will be the wonders of Nature and Man for all to see and understand.
Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America. And it will be uniquely qualified to dramatize these dreams and facts and send them forth as a source of courage and inspiration to all the world.
Disneyland will be something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic.
It will be filled with the accomplishments, the joys and hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make those wonders part of our own lives.
It will be a place for parents and children to share pleasant times in each other’s company; a place for teachers and pupils to discover greater ways of understanding and education. Here the older generation can recapture the nostalgia of days gone by, and the younger generation can savor the challenge of the future. Here will be the wonders of Nature and Man for all to see and understand.
Disneyland will be based upon and dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America. And it will be uniquely qualified to dramatize these dreams and facts and send them forth as a source of courage and inspiration to all the world.
Disneyland will be something of a fair, an exhibition, a playground, a community center, a museum of living facts, and a showplace of beauty and magic.
It will be filled with the accomplishments, the joys and hopes of the world we live in. And it will remind us and show us how to make those wonders part of our own lives.
This is from the six-page document used to sell Disneyland to the “New York Bankers." Part of the documentation responsible for the park’s very existence.
Now...how about this? This is from the introduction to the Stanford Research Institue Report. As many know, Stanford Research Institute was hired by Disney to determine the best location for the Park:
Walt Disney Productions is planning the development of an extensive recreational and educational enterprise to be known as Disneyland. It is the desire of the Disneyland management to provide a wide variety of entertainment activities and exhibits, designed and constructed to afford maximum pleasure and comfort for the people who will (visit) the facility.
And Walt himself also spoke directly about the Park being educational--and how that's part of what it magical:
"Disneyland is often called a magic kingdom because it combines fantasy and history, adventure and learning, together with every variety of recreation and fun designed to appeal to everyone."
So...what have you learned about the world you live in at the Park? What have you learned about history, or technology, or art or culture or nature or science while at Disneyland?
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